Process for producing anthracyclines and intermediates thereof

ABSTRACT

PCT No. PCT/FI95/00537 Sec. 371 Date Mar. 27, 1997 Sec. 102(e) Date Mar. 27, 1997 PCT Filed Sep. 29, 1995 PCT Pub. No. WO96/10581 PCT Pub. Date Apr. 11, 1996A process for producing anthracyclines and intermediates thereof expressing in a foreign Streptomyces host a DNA fragment relating to the biosynthetic pathway of anthracyclines and, if desired, intermediates obtained may be converted to anthracyclines or aglycones thereof using e.g. non-producing Streptomyces mutant strains.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a process for producing anthracyclines and intermediates thereof by expressing in a foreign host a DNA fragment relating to the biosynthetic pathway of anthracyclines and, if desired, the intermediates obtained are converted to anthracyclines or aglycones thereof using non-producing mutant strains.

RELATED ART

Polyketide antibiotics are a broad and variable group of compounds which are composed of poly-β-ketomethylene chain [CHRO]₄₋₂₀. A common feature of poly-ketides is their biosynthetic route which is similar to the biosynthesis of fatty acids. Katz, L. and Donadio, S. (1993) have recently published a review article concerning polyketides. As their structure the antibiotics of anthracycline group are aromatic polyketides, the common structural body of which is 7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-5,12-naphthacene kinone of the general formula (A) ##STR1##

To this structural body one or more sugars and other substituents are attached. The structural body of the molecule, to which the sugars are attached, is called an aglycone. Anthracyclines are discussed more specifically e.g. in the article of A. Fujiwara and T. Hoshino (1986). Several anthracyclines are cytostatically active and thus they are of continuous interest.

To find new anthracyclines screening of Streptomyces bacteria from the soil and mutation thereof are used. To modify known anthracyclines synthetic methods have been used, whereby chemical groups are added to or removed from either the aglycone or the sugar moiety. Similarly, biotransformation is used, wherein in living cells molecules are modified which have been produced by other production strains or by synthetic methods. Some anthracyclines have also been produced by synthetic methods.

The hybrid antibiotic technology has been disclosed as a new technology in the preparation of new antibiotics. It has been established to comprise production by genetic engineering of molecules which have structural features of natural products of two strains. The process is described in the publication of H. G. Floss: "Hybrid antibiotics--the contribution of the new gene combinations" (1987). The hybrid antibiotic technology gives an opportunity to controlled production of new compounds.

Cloning of actinorhodin genes from Streptomyces coelicolor (Hopwood et al., 1985) can be considered as the pioneer work in the molecular biological study of polyketide antibiotics and at the same time of streptomycetes. In 1987 Malpartida et al. reported about the hybridization of different polyketide producers to the actI and actill DNA fragments and thereafter genes of the polyketide synthase (PKS) domain have been identified in many Streptomyces species exploiting the homology. Sequencing of these genes has shown that the genes are strongly conserved and include three Open Reading Frames, ORF 1, 2 and 3. The products of these three genes are needed for the formation of the linear polyketide bound to the enzyme complex. For the optimal formation of the correct product encoded by the PKS-genes five ORFs are needed in tetracenomycin (Shen and Hutchinson, 1993). The sequenced aromatic PKSs are given in Table 1.

                  TABLE 1                                                          ______________________________________                                         Cloned and sequenced gene domains encoding polyketide                          synthase of aromatic polyketide antibiotics                                    Strain     Product     Reference                                               ______________________________________                                         S. coelicolor                                                                             aktinorhodin                                                                               Fernandez-Moreno, M. A.                                                        et al. 1992                                                                    Hallam, S. E. et al. 1988                               S. violaceoruber                                                                          granaticine Sherman, D. H. et al. 1989                              S. glaucescens                                                                            tetracenomycin                                                                             Bibb, M. J. et al. 1989                                 S. rimosus oxitetracycline                                                                            Kim, E-S. et al. 1994                                   S. cinnamonensis                                                                          monoensine  Arrowsmith, T. J. et al. 1992                           S. griseus griseusine  Yu, T-W. et al. 1994                                    S. roseofulvus                                                                            frenolisine Bibb, M. J. et. al. 1994                                ______________________________________                                    

Polyketide synthase (PKS) is a multienzyme complex which functionally reminds the synthase of long chain fatty acids. The separate components of actinorhodin PKS are so called actORF1 ketoacyl synthase (KS); actORF2 homologous to KS may effect on the length of the polyketide chain (McDaniel, R., et al., 1993); actORF3 acyl carrier protein (ACP); actORF5 ketoreductase (KR) and actORF4 cyclase/dehydrase, which may be responsible for the aromatization of the first ring.

The most part of the biosynthetic anthracyclines are formed via the aklavinone intermediate phase, whereafter the compound is glycosylated or it is modified by adding e.g. hydroxyl or methyl groups. Modifications can occur also after the glycosylation. The biosynthesis of aklavinone and anthracyclines which are further formed therefrom are described e.g. in "Advances in bioconversion of anthracycline antibiotics" (1989) of U. Grafe et al, and in the references cited therein. The biosynthetic route of the nogalamycin aglycone being formed of ten acetates is evidently analogous to the biosynthesis of aklavinone. (FIGS. 1A and 1B).

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A DNA fragment cloned from Streptomyces nogalater can be used according to this invention to combine the different phases of the biosynthetic route of anthracyclines, whereby hybrid anthracyclines and precursors of anthracyclines can be produced. This happens by transferring the cloned DNA fragment to a Streptomyces strain which produces anthracyclines or, alternatively, to a non-producer of anthracyclines.

The DNA fragment of Streptomyces nogalater including in the biosynthesis of anthracycline and being cloned according to this invention caused surprisingly production of anthracycline precursors in S. lividans, a host which does not produce anthracyclines. On the basis of the structures of the compounds obtained, the DNA fragment was supposed to include most of the genes needed for the biosynthesis of anthracycline aglycones. By complementation of mutant strains, analyzing the hybrid products and sequencing the DNA fragments we have been able to show that the DNA fragment comprises

the activity responsible for the election of the starting unit which defines the side chain of the 9-position (S. galilaeus hybrid products),

the polyketide synthase genes,

the gene of the enzyme which is needed for removing the hydroxyl in 2-position, (ketoreductase),

the methyl transferase gene needed for the carboxylic acid esterification,

the mono-oxygenase gene.

This DNA fragment and anthracycline precursors produced by it have further been used to produce hybrid anthracyclines.

The present invention enables one to produce some known cytostatically active anthracyclines (auramycins) as well as prior unknown compounds. Use of the polyketide synthase of anthracyclines in the production of hybrid anthracyclines has not been described previously, neither the change of the starting unit of polyketide synthesis by transferring genes to a foreign host. Further, there is no prior disclosure of the cloning of genes of the biosynthetic pathway of nogalamycin produced by S. nogalater, or use thereof.

The similarity of the biosynthetic genes of polyketide antibiotics disclosed by Malpartida et aL (1987) was the starting point to the discovery of the biosynthetic genes of nogalamycin. The total DNA of S. nogalater being cleaved by suitable restriction enzymes was hybridized by the Souther-techniques to the actI probe, and thus two hybridizing DNA fragments were obtained. In an optimal case a suitable probe shows one DNA fragment. The use of cross hybridization was, however, considered to be possible as a strategy in identifying the biosynthetic genes, because the signals were strong.

The strategy by which the DNA fragment according to the invention was found was the following: A fragment homologous to the actI fragment described by Malpartida et al. (1987) was isolated from S. nogalater. Said homologous fragment and flanking DNA fragments were transferred into a S. lividans strain TK24. Altogether about 20 kb (=kilobase, 1000 bases) were transferred in five fragments into a foreign host. Of these an about 12 kb DNA fragment, pSY15, causes the production of nogalamycin intermediates in S. lividans. The recombinant strain obtained was cultivated in a nutrient medium used for anthracycline producers and the product was extracted by suitable organic solvents.

DNA fragments according to the invention were transferred into Streptomyces strains described hereinafter as well as to S. galilaeus mutants H028, JH003, H061, H036 and H039 given in Table 2, and expressed in them. Said DNA fragments can correspondingly be transferred to other mutants mentioned in the table, depending on what kind of products are desired.

Streptomyces lividans 66, strain TK24, restriction-modification-free strain.

Streptomyces galilaeus ATCC 31615, produces aklacinomycin.

Mutants of Streptomyces galilaeus ATCC 31615 (cf. Table 2) (Ylihonko et al., 1994).

                  TABLE 2                                                          ______________________________________                                         The products of Streptomyces galilaeus mutants;                                abbreviations used: Akn = aklavinone, aglycone moiety of                       aclacinomycins; Rhn = rhodosamine; dF = deoxyfucose,                           CinA = Cinerulose A; Rho = rhodinose                                           Mutant Product       Description of mutation                                   ______________________________________                                         H028   No production Mutation in PKS-domain                                    JH003  No production Mutation in PKS-domain                                    H061   2-OH-Aklanone acid                                                                           No removal of 2-OH                                        H036   Methyl ester of                                                                              The fourth ring does not get closed                              aklanone acid                                                           H039   1) Aklavinonc Amino sugar is missing.                                          2) Akn-Rho-Rho                                                          H038   Akn-Rho       Mutation in glycosylation                                 H026   Akn-Rhn-dF-Rho                                                                               Oxidoreductase is missing                                 H035   Not identified                                                                               Mutation in the glycosylation                             H054   1) Akn-Rho-dF-CinA                                                                           Amino sugar is missing                                           2) Akn-dF-dF-CinA                                                              3) Akn-Rho-dF-Rho                                                              4) Akn-Rho-dF                                                                  5) Akn-dF-dF                                                            ______________________________________                                    

When producing the starting product for biotransformation the host used is preferably S. lividans, because it does not itself produce coloured or extractable compounds in the growth conditions used.

When producing an aglycone for biotransformation the bacterial strains producing anthracyclines or non-producing mutants thereof are preferably used, most preferably non-producing mutants of S. galilaeus being transformed with plasmid pSY15 (FIG. 3), carrying the above mentioned 12 kb DNA fragment.

When converting the anthracycline precursors obtained using the plasmid pSY15 to anthracyclines or their aglycones, S. galilaeus mutants, e.g. strains JH003 or H028, which do not produce aclarubicin are preferably used.

The DNA-con structions according to th e present invention can be constructed by ligating suitable DNA fragments from the domain as described to a suitable vector. Such a vector is preferably the high copy number plasmid pIJ486 capable to amplify in several strains of the genus Streptomyces (Ward et al., 1986).

To produce anthracyclines and their precursors strains carrying the pSY15 plasmid are grown preferably in growth media for Streptomyces bacteria, preferably in E1-medium, to which thiostrepton has been added to maintain the plasmid carrying strains. The strains are grown in conditions which are advantageous to the producing strain, e.g. in a shaker in bottles, or in a fermenter which is stirred and aerated. After a suitable cultivation time, preferably after 2-7 days the products are isolated according to methods described for bacterial metabolites, preferably e.g. extracting with a suitable solvent, e.g. toluene or chloroform. The extracted compounds are purified with suitable methods e.g. by using column chromatography.

Anthracycline precursors are converted to anthracyclines in strains naturally producing anthracyclines, or mutants thereof. Compounds similar to those naturally produced by the strain are thus obtained, having methyl in their 9-position and hydrogen in their 2-position. In biotransformations auramycinone produced by a S. galilaeus strain carrying the plasmid pSY15 is most suitably used as the starting compound, or methyl ester of nogalonic acid produced by a strain carrying the same plasmid which naturally does not produce anthracyclines. In biotransformations most preferably non-producing mutants of anthracycline production strains are used, e.g. mutant H028 or JH003. Biotransformation is effected most preferably by cultivating a strain in a suitable liquid production medium, e.g. in E1-medium, and by adding anthracycline precursors in suitable amounts. After a suitable time, e.g. 6 to 48 hours, most preferably 16 to 32 hours, the anthracyclines so formed are extracted.

The strains used for transformation (cf. also Table 2) are described in the following.

TK24 is a S. lividans strain which in the growth conditions used does not produce coloured secondary metabolites. In other growth conditions it produces actinorhodin, which is an antibiotic differing very much from anthracyclines. The strain does not produce any anthracyclines nor their precursors. When characterizing the products of TK24/pSY15 on the basis of NMR-spectrum compound I was obtained as the primary product, which is possibly an intermediate of anthracycline biosynthesis (cf. Scheme I).

H028 is a mutant of Streptomyces galilaeus which does not as such produce anthracyclines or their precursors. However, this strain can be used in biotransformations to convert anthracycline precursors to products similar to aclarubicin. When characterizing H028/pSY15 products it was found that this strain produces auramycinone (Compound 11), which is an anthracycline aglycone similar to aklavinone, as well as auramycins which are glycosides of auramycinone, e.g. Compound III. When hydrolyzing auramycins auramycinone is obtained, which also shows that the compounds produced are glycosides of auramycinone. Auramycinone is a useful precursor of anthracyclines, when new anthracyclines are produced by biotransformation. Auramycins have been described to be cytostatic anthracyclines having possible use in cancer chemotherapy. The use of H028/pSY15 for the production of these is new.

H061 is a Streptomyces galilaeus mutant, which produces 2-OH-aklanone acid. This is evidently due to a mutation which prevents removal of the hydroxyl in 2-position. H061/pSY15 produces aklavinone, auramycinone and their glycosides similar to aclarubicin. According to the result pSY15 complements the mutation of H061 and comprises thus the gene encoding the 2-position dehydroxylase. This is useful in producing new hybrid compounds when transformed to a strain the products of which naturally have hydroxyl or a methoxy group in 2-position.

On the basis of the results pSY15 is useful in producing precursors of anthracyclines in strains which naturally do not produce anthracyclines, or when producing hybrid anthracyclines in strains which produce anthracyclines, or in mutants thereof. With it the formation of 9-position side chain can be affected so that the strains which provide a two carbon side chain at this position, do produce compounds which have a one carbon side chain at said position. Possible strains producing anthracyclines which can be modified this way are e.g. S. galilaeus, S. peucetius and S. purpurascens. The anthracycline precursors produced this way are useful in producing new anthracyclines by biotransformations. pSY15 can also be transferred to a strain which normally produces compounds which at 2-position have hydroxyl or a methoxy group. Thereby compounds are obtained which have hydrogen at this position. pSY15 enables also one to produce previously described auramycinone and its glycosides by the new method.

In the following the detailed embodiments of the invention are described as examples of isolation of the DNA fragment from S. nogalater strain ATCC 27451, production of nogalamycin precursors in S. lividans strain TK24, production of auramycinone in the mutant H028 and their modification to anthracyclines in the mutant JH003. In addition, expression of the DNA fragments according to the invention in the mutants of the strain S. galilaeus is described, as well as the compounds produced by these strains.

The main products of the strains TK24/pSY15, H028/pSY15, H028/pSY15 and H061/pSY15 were characterized.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A Anthracyclines produced by Streptomyces strains, and identified precursors thereof. (Starting molecule: propionate.) The numbers of S. galilaeus mutant strains producing the intermediates are given in parentheses.

FIG. 1B Anthracyclines produced by Streptomyces strains having acetate as the starting molecule.

FIG. 2 Restriction map of the 12 kb continuous DNA fragment cloned from S. nogalater genome. The figure discloses also the inserts contained in the pSY plasmids obtained. Plasmid pIJ486 has been used in preparing the pSY vectors. On the basis of sequence comparisons the following functions have been obtained for the open reading frames shown in the figure: 1=ketoacylsynthase-acyltransferase, 2=Chain Length Controlling Factor (CLF), 3=acyl transferring protein; A and B=regulatory genes, C=mono-oxygenase, D =methyl transferase, E=ketoreductase.

FIG. 3 Structure of the plasmid pSY15.

FIG. 4 NMR-spectrum of compound I.

FIG. 5 NMR-spectrum of auramycinone.

FIG. 6 NMR-spectrum of auramycinone-rhodosamine-deoxyfucose.

FIG. 7 NMR-spectrum of auramycinone-rhodinose-deoxyfucose.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLORY EMBODIMENT

Bacterial strains and plasmids

The strain Streptomyces nogalater ATCC 27451 was used as the donor of genes. The Streptomyces bacterial strains used in this work as hosts are listed above. The treatments of S. nogalater DNA were effected in the E. coli strain XL1-Blue (recA1, endA1, gyrA96, thi-1, hsdR17, supE44, relA1, lac, [F'proAB, lacIZΔM15, TnIO (tet^(I))] (Stratagene Cloning Systems, California). E. coli strains GM2163 (E. coli Genetic Stock Center, Department of Biology 255 OML, Yale University, New Haven, USA) and LE392 (Promega) were used in preparing the gene bank and in amplifying the phage DNA.

In E. coli the plasmids pUC18/pUC19 (Pharmacia Biotech) were used, and in Streptomyces strains the plasmid pIj486 was used (Ward et al., 1987; obtained from Prof. Hopwood, John Innes Centre, UK).

Nutrient media and solutions used

TRYPTONE-SOYA BROTH (TSB)

Per litre: Oxoid Tryptone Soya Broth powder 30 g.

YEME (Hopwood et al., 1985., p. 239)

Per litre: Yeast extract (Difco) 3 g, Bacto-peptone (Difco) 5 g, malt extract (Oxoid) 3 g, glucose 10 g and saccharose 340 g. After autoclaving 2 ml of sterile 25M MgCl₂ solution and 25 ml of 20% glycine are added.

SGYEME As YEME, but the amount of saccharose was 110 g per litre. To prepare protoplasts the amount of 20% glycine varies from 12 ml to 50 ml per litre depending on the strain used.

YM-agar Bacto Yeast malt extract agar, ISP-medium 2, Difco; 38 g/litre.

ISP4 Bacto ISP-medium 4, Difco; 37 g/litre.

R2YE Hopwood et al., (1985 p. 236)

LB Sambrook et al., (1989, 3:A1)

E1 Per litre: Glucose 20 g, starch 20 g, Farmamedia 5 g, yeast extract 2.5 g, K₂ HPO₄. 3H₂ O 1.3 g, MgSO₄. 7H₂ O 1 g, NaCl 3 g, CaCO₃ 3 g. Tap water is added to 1 litre and pH is adjusted to 7.4.

TE Tris-HCl-buffer, pH 8: 10 mM, EDTA, pH 8: 1 mM

20×SSC Per litre: NaCl 175.3 g, Na-citrate 88.2 g. pH is adjusted to 7 with NaOH.

DENHARDT SOLUTION (Sambrook et al., 1989, 3:B.1)

A 50× basic solution is prepared, which contains Ficoll 5 g, polyvinyl pyrrolidone 5 g, BSA (bovine serum albumin) 5 g. Distilled water is added to 500 ml and sterilized by filtrating.

EXAMPLE 1 Cloning and Characterization of the Genes Included in the Anthracycline Biosynthesis of Streptomyces nogalater

1.1 Preparing of gene bank and cloning of anthracycline genes from S. nogalater.

Isolation of the total DNA from Streptomyces nogalater

S. nogalater (ATCC 27451) mycelia were cultivated for about 3 days in 50 ml of TSB medium, wherein 0.5% glycine had been added at 28° C. vigorously shaking. The mycelia were pelleted and the supernatant was discarded. The pellet was suspended into 10 ml of lysis buffer (15% saccharose, 25 mM Tris, pH 8.0, 25 mM EDTA and 5 mg/ml of lysozyme) and incubated for 15 min at 37° C. 1 mg of proteinase K and 1 ml of 10% SDS were added while stirring. The mixture was incubated at once for 15 min at 70° C. The lysed pellet was subsequently cooled in ice, 1 ml of 3 M Naacetate (pH 6.0) was added and kept for a few minutes on ice bath. 5 ml of phenol balanced with 0.1 M Tris was added and stirred by turning the tube around. The phases were sentrifuged apart and the water phase was further extracted with 5 ml of chloroform. DNA was subsequently precipitated by adding 10 ml of isopropanol. DNA was spinned cautiously around a Pasteur pipette being closed by flaming, washed by dipping into 70% ethanol and DNA was loosened onto the wall of the tube. DNA was dissolved in 5 ml of TE-buffer and treated with RNase (25 μl of 10 mg/ml DNase free RNase) for about 30 min at 37° C. The phenol and chloroform extractions were repeated. DNA was subsequently reprecipitated with isopropanol and washed as above. Finally DNA was dissolved in 1 ml of TE-buffer and it was used for subsequent steps.

Southern hybridization

The actI probe was the 0.8 kb BglII-fragment obtained from the plasmid pIj2345 and the acm probe the 3 kb BamHI-fragment obtained from the plasmid pACM5 (Niemi et al., 1994). The plasmids were isolated at mini-scale (Magic Minipreps reagent series of Promega) and the probe fragments were isolated by preparative agarose gel electrophoresis after digesting them first with BglII and with BamHI, respectively. The probes were then labeled with 50 μCi of [α³² -P]CTP by nick-translation (Nick translation labeling reagent series of Boehringer Mannheim).

The total DNA preparations isolated as described above were digested with EcoRI enzyme and fractionated with agarose gel electrophoresis. The fractionated DNA was transferred from the gel to Hybond N membrane (Amersham) using the Vacugene apparatus (LKB 2016, Pharmacia LKB Biotechnology) according to the instructions of use. DNA was fastened into the membrane by incubating for 3 min in UV light.

The membranes were hybridized in 10 ml of hybridization solution (1% SDS, 1M NaCl, 5× Denhardt's solution, 100 μg/ml denatured carrier DNA (DNA from calf thymus, Boehringer Mannheim) at 65° C. in a hybridization oven (HB-1D Hybridiser, Techne) for about 6 h, whereafter at least 100 ng of labeled probe-DNA was added into the hybridization tube and the incubation was continued for further about 12 h. After this the membranes were washed at 65° C. for 2×30 min in a wash solution (2×SSC, 1% SDS or 0.2×SSC, 0.1% SDS). Autoradiography was effected by superimposing the membrane coated with a plastic film and the autoradiography film. Exposure lasted about 1 to 3 days.

Preparing of the gene bank from S. nogalater DNA

40 μg of DNA was incubated in the digestion buffer (10×A, Boehringer Marnnheim) in the presence of 2.4 units of Sau3A (Boehringer Mannheim) for 5 min at 37° C. and the reaction was stopped by adding phenol. After phenol treatment DNA was purified with ethanol precipitation. DNA-fragments so obtained were run at preparative agarose gel electrophoresis (0.3% LGT, low gelling temperature). DNA, which was 20 kb or bigger, was taken from the gel by cutting and purified by phenolization from the agarose. A commercial phage vector, λ EMBL 4, BamHI fragments (Amersham International plc, Amersham UK) were treated with alkaline phosphatase (CIAP, calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase, Promega) according to the instructions of the manufacturer. The insert DNA (Sau3A fraction) and vector so obtained were ligated by incubating for 2 h at room temperature and for 2 h at 14° C. in the presence of T4-DNA ligase (Promega) according to the recommendation of the manufacturer. The ligation mixture was packed to λ-particles using the Packagene reagent series (Promega Biotech) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Escherichia coli strain GM2163 was used as the host. The cells were prepared for infection according to the packing instructions and cells infected with the packing mixture were spread onto plates according to Promega's instructions.

Isolation and mapping of hybridizing clones

Phage DNA from plates with about 4000 plaques/plate was transferred to a membrane (Colony/Plaque Screen, New England Nuclear) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The membranes were hybridized as described above. Plaques which gave a signal in autoradiography, were picked up and the phages were eluted from them by incubating a plaque in 0.5 ml of SM-buffer for 2 hours. Because the plaque plates were dense, the plaques were purified by infecting them into the host strain LE392 (Promega) and hybridizing as above.

From the purified clones phage DNA was prepared in 20 ml scale by infecting the LE392 cells according to Promega's packing instructions. The DNA so obtained was digested with various restriction endonucleases to map the clones (Sambrook et al., 1989) and by hybridizing with different probes. The restriction map so obtained is given in FIG. 2.

Transfer of the DNA fragments to S. lividans and detection of new compounds

The fragment shown in the restriction map (FIG. 2) was transferred into S. lividans as EcoRI-fragments (pSY1 and pSY6) or as a BglII-fragment (pSY15). λ-clones were digested with EcoRI or BglIl-restriction enzyme and ligated to a plasmid made linear with the same enzyme and was transformed by electroporation into E. coli or by protoplast transformation into S. lividans. Most of the inserts were first cloned into the plasmid pUC19 amplifying in E. coli, whereby as a host E. coli strain XL1-Blue was used. pSY15 was cloned directly into the S. lividans strain TK24. E. coli was used because by that way smaller amounts of phage-DNA could be used. The transformation efficacy of E. coli was 2×10⁸ transformants/μg DNA, when E. coli Pulser Apparatus-electroporation device (Bio-Rad) was used with the following settings (200 Ohm, 25 μF, 1.4 kV). For electroporation the cells were treated as described in Dower, W. J. et al. (1988), and 0.1 cm cuvettes of Bio-Rad were used in transformation, the cell volume was 20 μl.

S. lividans strain TK24 was used as an intermediate host as the expression was believed to be successful only in S. galilaeus strains. S. galilaeus is not at all transformable with DNA propagated in E. coli. Only the plasmid pSY15 caused modification in TK24 strain, which was noticed as brown colour on the ISP4 plate, when TK24 is normally rather colourless or blue. Only the TK24 strain carrying the plasmid pSY15 caused formation of coloured products in the E1-medium well suited for the production of anthracyclines. On the basis of thin layer chromatography the products of the recombinant strain TK24/pSY15 seemed to be alike to but not identical with those produced by the mutant H036 (Ylihonko et aL, 1994) producing the methyl ester of aklanone acid. With the eluent toluene:ethyl acetate:methanol:formic acid (50:50:15:3) the following R_(f) -values were obtained for these products:

TK24/pSY15: 0.66; 0.60; 0.50

H036: 0.67; 0.62; 0.51.

These characteristics were confirmed to come from the pSY15 plasmid by retransforming the plasmid to S. lividans TK24 strain. The transformants so obtained were also able to produce anthracycline precursors. When the recombinant strain was cultivated in E1 medium without selection pressure of the plasmid strain caused by thiostrepton, the production of new compounds decreased.

1.2 Localizing the PKS-genes

Sequencing of the hybridizing fragment

From the EcoRI-digest a 2 kb actI hybridizing fragment was obtained and it was sequenced. About 2 kb of DNA to the right according to the map (FIG. 2) was additionally sequenced. For sequencing 31 clones were prepared from restriction enzyme digestion sites to the vectors pUC18 and pUC19, being linearized with corresponding enzymes.

To isolate plasmids for the sequencing reactions Magic/Wizard™ Minipreps DNA Purification System kit of Promega was used. E. coli XL1-Blue cells were cultivated overnight in 3 ml of LB-medium which contained 50 μg/ml of ampicillin, and the plasmids were isolated according to the manufacturer's instructions.

DNA-sequencing was performed by using dideoxy chain termination method. For the sequencing reactions Deaza G/A ^(T7) Sequencing™ Mixes (Pharnacia) and TaqTrack® Sequencing Systems, Deaza (Promega) sequencing reagent series were used. Denaturation was always performed according to the instructions in the Pharmacia kit. (Method C). When using the Pharmacia kit the primers were ligated according to the

Method C given in the instructions (Standard Annealing of Primer to Double-Stranded Template). When using the Promega kit the item "Sequencing Protocol Using Direct Incorporation" of the manufacturer's instructions was followed. Deviating from the primer ligation temperature (37° C.) recommended by the manufacturer the temperature of 45° C. was used to avoid the secondary structures caused by the high GC-content. The temperature was kept thereafter at 45° C. until the end of the reaction. As a radioactive label [α³⁵ S]dATP (NEN Products Boston, Mass.) was used. Most of the PKS-domain was sequenced with a universal primer (5'-d(GTTTTCCCAGTCAC-GAC)-3') SEQ ID NO:6 and with a reverse primer (5'-d(CAGGAAACAGCTATGAC)-3' SEQ ID NO:7 (pUC/M13 17' mer Primers, Promega). When sequencing the longest fragments (500-600 bp) of the domain, and in order to define the sequences of such restriction sites which could not be "passed", six specific primers were used. The primers were prepared at the Department of Bioorganic Chemistry in the University of Turku.

The sequencing gels were run by the Macrophor-system of Pharmacia, using a 4% thickness gradient gel. Running conditions: current 20 mA, voltage 2500 V.

Sequence analysis

From the PKS domain the DNA fragment with about 4134 bases (as given in the sequence listing) was sequenced, the analysis of which was performed by GCG-software (Genetics Computer Group, GCG Package, Wisconsin USA). With the subprogram CODONPREFERENCE the open reading frames were sought from the sequence. The reading frames obtained were translated to the amino acid sequence and with the TFASTA-subprogram homologies to known sequences were sought.

According to the CODONPREFERENCE program the 4134 base DNA fragment as sequenced had altogether three open reading frames (ORF1, ORF2, ORF3) (ORF 1 is the fragment 359-1651 in SEQ ID NO:1 of the sequence listing, ORF2 is the fragment 1648-2877 in the SEQ ID NO:4, and ORF3 is the fragment 2937-3197 in the SEQ ID NO:1). In the beginning of each open reading frame a possible ribosome binding site was found (RBS). The functions of the genes were concluded by comparing the amino acid sequences translated from their base sequences to known sequences. So the following similarities with the open reading frames of actinorhodin and tetracenomycin PKS domains were obtained: ORF1 (80%, 81%), ORF2 (74%, 77%), ORF3 (62%, 62%), and on the basis of this we present the following functions to said genes: ORF1 is ketoacylsynthase; ORF2 is the factor which effects on the chain length; ORF3 is an acyl carrier protein. These three open reading frames are needed for a functional polyketide synthase.

Upstream of the PKS domain about 6 kb DNA fragment was sequenced (kb=1000 bases). In this domain the following gene activities have been recognized on the basis of the sequence: (FIG. 2): regulatory genes, mono-oxygenase, methyl transferase and ketoreductase.

EXAMPLE 2 Transfer of the Genes into the Strain S. galilaeus ATCC 31615 and Mutants Thereof

Plasmid pSY15 was isolated from S. lividans strain TK24 and transformed into S. galilaeus mutant H039 and the DNA isolated therefrom further into other S. galilaeus mutants. The method used in the transformation of the S. galilaeus strain being modified from the transformation method used in the transformation of S. lividans has been described earlier (Ylihonko, K, Pro gradu-thesis, University of Turku, 1986). For preparing protoplasts the cells were grown in SGYEME, to which 0.8% saccharose had been added. The plasmids were transformed successfully first to the mutant H039, whereby with 2 μg of plasmid-DNA about 10 transformants were obtained. Because of a strong restriction barrier S. galilaeus is weakly transformable with foreign DNA but the transformation efficacy increases manyfold if the plasmid has been isolated from a S. galilaeus strain.

H039-transformants were first cultivated for about 5 days on an ISP4 plate, whereto thiostreptone had been added. The mycelium was inoculated in 50 ml of TSB nutrient broth (5 μg/ml of thiostreptone added) and grown in a shaker for 5 days. The plasmid was isolated as described above and transformed into other mutants. Usually 200 to 500 ng of plasmid was used per one transformation, whereby 10 to 100 transformants were obtained.

After regeneration the transformed mutant strains were spread onto ISP4 plates, wherefrom the mycelium was further transferred to E1 nutrient medium. To retain the plasmid thiostrepton was added to all nutrient media. E1 mycelium was incubated in a shaker (330 rpm, 30° C.) and production was followed by taking after 3 days a 0.5 ml sample of the mycelium daily for 3 to 5 days. The sample was buffered to pH 7 with phosphate buffer and extracted with methanol-toluene mixture (1:1). In addition, part of the samples were acidified with 1M HCl solution and extracted into toluenemethanol. In E1-cultivations both mutants and the S. galilaeus wild strain were used as controls. By comparing the products on TLC the effects of the plasmid on the production were seen.

The S. galilaeus mutants used in transformations are listed above. Plasmid pSY15 complemented, i.e. restored the producing ability of anthracyclines or precursors thereof in the following mutants: H028, H061 and JH003. It did not affect the production profile of the mutants H036 and H039 to any appreciable extent. JH003, which does not produce coloured compounds in the conditions used, has been mutated from the strain H054 and the transformant JH003/pSY15 was compared to the strain H054. H028 is also a non-producing mutant, which was obtained by mutating the wild strain S. galilaeus ATCC 31615. So the wild strain was used as the control of the transformant H028/pSY15. Using the eluent toluene:ethyl acetate:methanol:formic acid (50:50:15:3) the following R_(f) -values were obtained for the transformants and the host strains used as controls.

H028/pSY15: (0.69); 0.61; 0.58; 0.01

JH003/pSY15: 059; 0.50; 0.46; 035

H061/pSY15: (0.69); 0.61; 0.58; 0.06; 0.01

S. galilaeus ATCC 31615: 0.23; 0.14; 0.11

H054: 0.65; 0.60; 0.53; 0.48.

H061: 050 (acid).

The product isolated in small scale was hydrolyzed by heating in 1M hydrochloric acid at 80° C. for 0.5 h. After hydrolysis the following R_(f) -values were obtained for the aglycons or precursors thereof:

H028/pSY15: 0.61

JH003/pSY15: 0.61

H061/pSY15: 0.61.

Because all these mutants used have originally been produced from a S. galilaeus wild strain, aklavinone was used as comparison, being the aglycone of aclacinomycins produced by S. galilaeus. In the eluent used the R_(f) -value 0.69 was obtained for aklavinone. In the products of transformants small amounts of aklavinone were also detected.

EXAMPLE 3 Production of Anthracycline Precursors

3.1 Production of TK24/pSY15 products

Ten 250 ml erlenmeyer-flasks each containing 60 ml of E1-medium were inoculated with 1 ml aliquots of the strain TK24/pSY15. The flasks were incubated in a shaker at 330 rpm at the temperature of 30° C. for about 3 days. From the finished mycelia production was confirmed by extracting 0.5 ml samples with a mixture of methanol and toluene (1:1). The products were compared to the standard by thin layer chromatography.

The flasks were emptied into two 400 ml centrifuge tubes and centrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The supernatant was recovered. The precipitate was suspended by adding to each tube 50 ml of methanol. The tubes were recentrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The methanol solution was added into the supernatant. The precipitate was discarded. The solution was extracted with 2×100 ml of chloroform, whereby a strongly orange-yellow chloroform solution was obtained. The water phase was discarded.

Chloroform was evaporated on a water bath in a rotary evaporator. The orangeyellow, dry product was dissolved in 2 ml of chloroform.

The chloroform solutions were pipetted into a chromatography column of glass, equipped with a glass sinter, having a diameter of 2 cm and containing about 5 cm of silica suspended in chloroform (Kieselgel 60, Merck). The column was eluted with 2.5 ml aliquots of chloroform. Each fraction was collected into a separate test tube. Samples of each fraction were dropped on a thin layer and compared to the standards. Fractions containing individual compounds were pooled and evaporated into dryness.

NMR-spectra of pure compounds were determined and the compounds were identified by comparing the spectra with analogical compounds. In FIG. 4 the H-NMR-spectrum of Compound I is given.

3.2 Production of an aglycone in the strain H028/pSY15

Ten 250 ml erlenmeyer-flasks each containing 60 ml of E1-medium were inoculated with 1 ml aliquots of the strain H028/pSY15. The flasks were incubated in a shaker at 330 rpm at the temperature of 30° C. for about 4 days. From the finished mycelia production was confirmed by extracting 0.5 ml samples with a mixture of methanol and toluene (1:1). The products were compared to the standards by thin layer chromatography.

The flasks were emptied into two 400 ml centrifuge tubes and centrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The supematant was recovered. The precipitate was suspended by adding to each tube 50 ml of methanol. The tubes were recentrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The methanol solution was added into the supernatant. The precipitate was discarded. The solution was extracted with 2×100 ml of chloroform, whereby a strongly yellow chloroform solution was obtained. The water phase was discarded.

Chloroform was evaporated on a water bath in a rotary evaporator. The yellow, dry product was dissolved in 2 ml of chloroform.

The chloroform solutions were pipetted into a chromatography column of glass, equipped with a glass sinter, having a diameter of 2 cm and containing about 5 cm of silica suspended in chloroform (Kieselgel 60, Merck). The column was eluted with 2.5 ml aliquots of chloroform. Each fraction was collected into a separate test tube. Samples of each fraction were dropped on a thin layer and compared to the standards. Fractions containing individual compounds were pooled and evaporated into dryness.

NMR-spectra of pure compounds were determined and the compounds were identified by comparing the spectra with analogical compounds. In FIG. 5 the H-NMR-spectrum of auramycinone (Compound II) is given.

EXAMPLE 4 Biotransformation of Hybrid Products

4.1 Biotransformation of auramycinone in strain JH003

A 250 ml erlenmeyer-flask containing 60 ml of E1-medium was inoculated with 1 ml of strain JH003. The flask was incubated in a shaker at 330 rpm at the temperature of 30° C. for about 3 days. After two day's cultivation about 2 mg of auramycinone was added into the flask. At 24 hours from this the production was confirmed by extracting a 0.5 ml sample with the mixture of methanol and toluene (1:1). The products were compared to the standard by thin layer chromatography.

The flask was emptied into two 60 ml centrifuge tube and centrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The supernatant was recovered. The precipitate was suspended by adding to each tube 10 ml of methanol. The tubes were recentrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The methanol solution was added to the supernatant. The precipitate was discarded. The pooled solution was extracted with 2×20 ml of chloroform, whereby a strongly yellow chloroform solution was obtained. The water phase was discarded.

Chloroform was evaporated on a water bath in a rotary evaporator. The yellow, dry product was dissolved in chloroform. On the basis of TLC the product was found to correspond to the products of the strain JH003/pSY15 (cf. Example 5.2).

EXAMPLE 5 Production of Hybrid Anthracyclines

5.1 Production of auramycinone-rhodosamine-deoxyfucose in strain H028/pSY15

Ten 250 ml erlenmeyer-flasks each containing 60 ml of E1-medium were inoculated with 1 ml aliquots of the strain H028/pSY15. The flasks were incubated in a shaker at 330 rpm at the temperature of 30° C. for about 4 days. From the finished mycelia production was confirmed by extracting 0.5 ml samples with a mixture of methanol and toluene (1:1). The products were compared to the standard by thin layer chromatography.

The flasks were emptied into two 400 ml centrifuge tubes and centrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The supernatant was recovered. The precipitate was suspended by adding to each tube 50 ml of methanol. The tubes were recentrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The methanol solution was added into the supernatant. The precipitate was discarded. The pooled solution was extracted with 2×100 ml of chloroform, whereby a strongly yellow chloroform solution was obtained. The water phase was discarded.

Chloroform was evaporated on a water bath in a rotary evaporator. The yellow, dry product was dissolved in 2 ml of chloroform.

The chloroform solutions were pipetted into a chromatography column of glass, equipped with a glass sinter, having a diameter of 2 cm and containing about 5 cm of silica suspended in chloroform (Kieselgel 60, Merck). The column was eluted with 2.5 ml aliquots of chloroform. Each fraction was collected into a separate test tube. Samples of each fraction were dropped on a thin layer and compared to the standards. Fractions containing individual compounds were pooled.

NMR-spectra of pure compounds were determined and the compounds were identified by comparing the spectra with analogical compounds. In FIG. 6 the H-NMR-spectrum of auramycinone-rhodosamine-deoxyfucose (Compound III) is given.

5.2 Production of auramycinone-rhodinose-deoxyfucose in strain JH003/pSY15

Ten 250 ml erlenmeyer-flasks each containing 60 ml of E1-medium were inoculated with 1 ml aliquots of the strain JH003/pSY15. The flasks were incubated in a shaker at 330 rpm at the temperature of 30° C. for about 4 days. From the finished mycelia production was confirmed by extracting 0.5 ml samples with a mixture of methanol and toluene (1:1). The products were compared to the standard by thin layer chromatography.

The flasks were emptied into two 400 ml centrifuge tubes and centrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The supernatant was recovered. The precipitate was suspended by adding to each tube 50 ml of methanol. The tubes were recentrifuged for 10 min at 3000 rpm. The methanol solution was added into the supernatant. The precipitate was discarded. The pooled solution was extracted with 2×100 ml of chloroform, whereby a strongly yellow chloroform solution was obtained. The water phase was discarded.

Chloroform was evaporated on a water bath in a rotary evaporator. The yellow, dry product was dissolved in 2 ml of chloroform.

The chloroform solutions were pipetted into a chromatography column of glass, equipped with a glass sinter, having a diameter of 2 cm and containing about 5 cm of silica suspended in chloroform (Kieselgel 60, Merck). The column was eluted with 2.5 ml aliquots of chloroform:methanol 100:10. Each fraction was collected into a separate test tube. Samples of each fraction were dropped on a thin layer and compared to a standard. Fractions containing individual compounds were pooled and evaporated into dryness.

NMR-spectra of pure compounds were determined and the compounds were identified by comparing the spectra with analogical compounds. In FIG. 7 the H-NMR-spectrum of auramycinone-rhodinose-deoxyfucose is given.

EXAMPLE 6 Characterization of the Products

6.1 HPLC-runs

The retention times of the compounds were determined at RP-18-column, with an eluent acetonitrile:methanol:potassium dihydrogen phosphate buffer (8.00 g/l, pH 3.0) 5:2:3. The retention times of the compounds are: I: 4.63, II: 3.52, III: 4.09 and IV: 7.26. The structures of the compounds I-IV are given in the Scheme I.

6.2 NMR-spectra of the compounds

H-NMR-spectra of some of the TK24/pSY15, H028/pSY15 and JH003/pSY15 products were determined by Bruker 400 MHz NMR spectrometer in deuterium-chloroform. The spectra given by the compounds were compared to the spectra of known compounds, e.g. aclarubicin. The spectra obtained are given in FIGS. 4 to 7.

In all of the compounds the hydrogens in 1, 2 and 3-positions bound to each other and with same transitions are found. The singlet corresponding to the hydrogen in 11-position was found in all compounds with the same transition. Additionally, the peaks given by the two aromatic hydroxyls can be seen. On the basis of the peaks of these six hydrogens the aromatic chromophore moieties are similar, and correspond e.g. the chromophore of aklavinone.

In all of the compounds a singlet of the size of three hydrogens is found at about 3.7 ppm corresponding to the methyl of methyl ester. Another singlet is found in all compounds at about 3.8 ppm, which corresponds to the 10-position hydrogen. The integral of this is of the size of one hydrogen in auramycinone and its glycosides and of the size of two hydrogens in Compound I. According to this Compound I suits to be a compound in which the fourth ring has not been closed.

The region 4.7 to 6 ppm has in anthracyclines and in compounds related thereto hydrogens at 7-position and 1-position of the sugars. Auramycinone has in this region one peak, Compounds III and IV have three peaks, but in Compound I there are no peaks in this region. According to this auramycinone has no sugars and Compounds III and IV have two sugars, whereas Compound I has no hydrogens in this region which suits with the keto-form at position 7.

Auramycinone and its glycosides have a three hydrogen singlet between 1.39 and 1.47 ppm. This suits to be the methyl group of position 13, which is not bound to other hydrogens. This item distinguishes these compounds from aklavinone and its glycosides, wherein the side chain is ethyl.

The 8-position CH₂ -hydrogens of auramycinone and its glycosides give one doublet at 2.2 ppm and a double doublet at 2.6 ppm. In addition, in the spectra of Compounds III and IV peaks corresponding to their sugars are found.

The H-NMR results match well with the structures given in the Figures.

Deposited Microorganisms

The following microorganism was deposited in Deutsche Samrnlung von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen (DSM), Mascheroder Weg 1 b, D-38124 Braunschweig, Germany

    ______________________________________                                         Microorganism                                                                               Deposition number                                                                           Deposition date                                      Streptomyces lividans                                                                       DSM 9436     15 September 1994                                    Th24/pSY15                                                                     ______________________________________                                          ##STR2##

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Bibb, M. J., Sherman, D. H., Omura, S. and Hopwood, D. A. 1994 Cloning, sequencing and deduced functions of a cluster of Streptomyces genes probably encoding biosynthesis of the polyketide antibiotic frenolicin. Gene

Bibb, M. J. Biro, S., Motamedi, H., Collins, J. F. and Hutchinson, C. R. 1989. Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of the Streptomyces glaucescens tcmI genes provides key information about the enzymology of polyketide antibiotic biosynthesis. EMBO J. 8: 2727-2736.

Dower W. J., Miller, J. F. and Ragsdale, C. W. 1988. High efficiency transformation of E.coli by high voltage electroporation. Nucleic Acids Research 16:6127-6145.

Fernandez-Moreno, M. A., Martinez, E., Boto, L., Hopwood, D. A. and Malpartida, F. 1992. Nucleotide sequence and deduced functions of a set of cotranscribed genes of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) including the polyketide synthase for the antibiotic actinorhodin. J.Biol.Chem. 267: 19278-19290

Floss, H. G. (1987) Hybrid antibiotics--the contribution of the new gene cornbinations. Trends in Biotech. 5:111-115.

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Kim, E-S., Bibb, M. J., Butler, M. J., Hopwood, D. A. and Sherman, D. H. 1994. Nucleotide sequence of the oxytetracycline (otc) polyketide synthase genes from Streptomyces rimosus. Gene 141:141-142.

Malpartida, F. and Hopwood, D. A. 1984. Molecular cloning of the whole biosynthetic pathway of a Streptomyces antibiotic and its expression in a heterologous host. Nature 309:462-464.

Malpartida, F., S. E. Hallam, H. M. Kieser, H. Motamedi, C. R. Hutchinson, M. J. Butler, D. A. Sugden, M. Warren, C.McKillop, C. R. Bailey, G. O. Humphreys, and D. A. Hopwood. 1987. Homology between Streptomyces genes coding for synthesis of different polyketides used to clone antibiotic synthesis genes. Nature (London) 325:818-821.

McDaniel, R., S. Ebert-Khosla, D. A. Hopwood, and C. Khosla. 1993. Engineered biosynthesis of novel polyketides. Science 262:1546-1550.

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Yu, T.-W., Bibb, M. J., Revill, W. P. and Hopwood, D. A. 1994. Cloning, sequencing and analysis of the griseusin polyketide synthase gene cluster from Streptomyces griseus. J. Bacteriol. 176:2627-2634.

    __________________________________________________________________________     #             SEQUENCE LISTING                                                 - (1) GENERAL INFORMATION:                                                     -    (iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 7                                              - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 1:                                            -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                           #pairs    (A) LENGTH: 3252 base                                                          (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                 -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                        -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                    -    (iii) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                      -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                    #nogalater ATCC 27451 Streptomyces                                             -     (ix) FEATURE:                                                                      (A) NAME/KEY: CDS                                                              (B) LOCATION: 359..1651                                              #/note= "ORF1"OTHER INFORMATION:                                               -     (ix) FEATURE:                                                                      (A) NAME/KEY: CDS                                                              (B) LOCATION: 2937..3197                                             #/note= "ORF3"OTHER INFORMATION:                                               -     (ix) FEATURE:                                                                      (A) NAME/KEY: misc.sub.-- - #feature                                           (B) LOCATION: 1648..1651                                             #/note= "overlapping sequence in                                               #ORF2"         ORF1 and                                                        #1:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:                                    - GAATTCGGCC GTACCCCGAC GGCCGATTCC TTACCCTTCC GGAGCGGCTT GC - #GGATCGCA          60                                                                           - GGACGAAGTC CTCCCTCTCC CCCCATCGGG CGTCCGCTCT TTGTGACCGG TT - #CACGAGTC         120                                                                           - GGGTTCCAGC GCTCCTCGAC TCAGGATCGA CCCCTTCCGC GGTAGCCGCC CC - #GCAGGAAC         180                                                                           - CGCAAACCTT CCGCGCCGGT CCCGCCGGGC TTCGCCGCAC CCGTCCATCC GT - #CATTGAGC         240                                                                           - TGATTTCGAG ACAGGACGCG CACTGTCACC ACGAGCCCTG TGCGGTTGAA GT - #CATCACCT         300                                                                           - GTCCGCGCAC AGGAACTTCA AGACGATCAA AGCCCCTAGT GAAGGGCATC TT - #CGACGA           358                                                                           - ATG AAG GAA TCC ATC AAC CGT CGC GTG GTC AT - #C ACC GGA ATA GGG ATC           406                                                                           Met Lys Glu Ser Ile Asn Arg Arg Val Val Il - #e Thr Gly Ile Gly Ile            #                 15                                                           - GTC GCG CCC GAT GCC ACC GGG GTG AAA CCG TT - #C TGG GAT CTG CTG ACG           454                                                                           Val Ala Pro Asp Ala Thr Gly Val Lys Pro Ph - #e Trp Asp Leu Leu Thr            #             30                                                               - GCC GGT CGC ACC GCG ACC CGG ACC ATC ACC GC - #C TTC GAT CCC TCT CCG           502                                                                           Ala Gly Arg Thr Ala Thr Arg Thr Ile Thr Al - #a Phe Asp Pro Ser Pro            #         45                                                                   - TTC CGT TCC CGC ATC GCC GCG GAA TGC GAT TT - #C GAC CCG CTT GCC GAA           550                                                                           Phe Arg Ser Arg Ile Ala Ala Glu Cys Asp Ph - #e Asp Pro Leu Ala Glu            #     60                                                                       - GGG CTG ACC CCC CAG CAG ATC CGG CGT ATG GA - #C CGG GCC ACG CAG TTC           598                                                                           Gly Leu Thr Pro Gln Gln Ile Arg Arg Met As - #p Arg Ala Thr Gln Phe            # 80                                                                           - GCG GTC GTC AGC GCC CGG GAA AGC CTG GAG GA - #C AGC GGA CTC GAC CTC           646                                                                           Ala Val Val Ser Ala Arg Glu Ser Leu Glu As - #p Ser Gly Leu Asp Leu            #                 95                                                           - GGC GCC CTG GAC GCC TCC CGC ACC GGC GTG GT - #C GTC GGC AGC GCG GTC           694                                                                           Gly Ala Leu Asp Ala Ser Arg Thr Gly Val Va - #l Val Gly Ser Ala Val            #           110                                                                - GGC TGC ACC ACG AGC CTG GAA GAG GAG TAC GC - #G GTC GTC AGC GAC AGC           742                                                                           Gly Cys Thr Thr Ser Leu Glu Glu Glu Tyr Al - #a Val Val Ser Asp Ser            #       125                                                                    - GGC CGG AAC TGG CTG GTC GAC GAC GGC TAC GC - #C GTA CCG CAC CTA TTC           790                                                                           Gly Arg Asn Trp Leu Val Asp Asp Gly Tyr Al - #a Val Pro His Leu Phe            #   140                                                                        - GAC TAC TTC GTG CCC AGC TCC ATC GCC GCC GA - #G GTG GCA CAC GAC CGC           838                                                                           Asp Tyr Phe Val Pro Ser Ser Ile Ala Ala Gl - #u Val Ala His Asp Arg            145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -        #60                                                                            - ATC GGC GCG GAG GGC CCC GTC AGC CTC GTG TC - #G ACC GGG TGC ACC TCG           886                                                                           Ile Gly Ala Glu Gly Pro Val Ser Leu Val Se - #r Thr Gly Cys Thr Ser            #               175                                                            - GGC CTG GAC GCC GTG GGC CGC GCG GCC GAC CT - #G ATC GCC GAG GGA GCG           934                                                                           Gly Leu Asp Ala Val Gly Arg Ala Ala Asp Le - #u Ile Ala Glu Gly Ala            #           190                                                                - GCG GAT GTG ATG CTG GCC GGT GCG ACC GAG GC - #G CCC ATC TCC CCC ATC           982                                                                           Ala Asp Val Met Leu Ala Gly Ala Thr Glu Al - #a Pro Ile Ser Pro Ile            #       205                                                                    - ACC GTG GCG TGC TTC GAT GCC ATC AAG GCG AC - #C ACC CCC CGC AAC GAC          1030                                                                           Thr Val Ala Cys Phe Asp Ala Ile Lys Ala Th - #r Thr Pro Arg Asn Asp            #   220                                                                        - ACG CCC GCC GAG GCG TCC CGT CCG TTC GAC CG - #C ACC AGG AAC GGG TTC          1078                                                                           Thr Pro Ala Glu Ala Ser Arg Pro Phe Asp Ar - #g Thr Arg Asn Gly Phe            225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -        #40                                                                            - GTA CTC GGC GAG GGC GCT GCC GTG TTC GTC CT - #G GAG GAG TTC GAA CAC          1126                                                                           Val Leu Gly Glu Gly Ala Ala Val Phe Val Le - #u Glu Glu Phe Glu His            #               255                                                            - GCG CGC CGC CGG GGC GCG CTC GTG TAC GCG GA - #G ATC GCC GGG TTC GCC          1174                                                                           Ala Arg Arg Arg Gly Ala Leu Val Tyr Ala Gl - #u Ile Ala Gly Phe Ala            #           270                                                                - ACT CGC TGC AAC GCC TTC CAC ATG ACC GGT CT - #G CGC CCG GAC GGG CGG          1222                                                                           Thr Arg Cys Asn Ala Phe His Met Thr Gly Le - #u Arg Pro Asp Gly Arg            #       285                                                                    - GAG ATG GCG GAG GCC ATC GGG GTG GCG CTC GC - #C CAG GCG GGC AAG GCG          1270                                                                           Glu Met Ala Glu Ala Ile Gly Val Ala Leu Al - #a Gln Ala Gly Lys Ala            #   300                                                                        - CCG GCT GAC GTC GAC TAC GTC AAC GCC CAC GG - #T TCC GGC ACC CGG CAG          1318                                                                           Pro Ala Asp Val Asp Tyr Val Asn Ala His Gl - #y Ser Gly Thr Arg Gln            305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -        #20                                                                            - AAT GAC CGT CAC GAG ACG GCG GCC TTC AAG CG - #C AGT CTC GGC GAC CAC          1366                                                                           Asn Asp Arg His Glu Thr Ala Ala Phe Lys Ar - #g Ser Leu Gly Asp His            #               335                                                            - GCC TAC CGG GTC CCG GTC AGC AGC ATC AAA TC - #C ATG ATC GGG CAC TCG          1414                                                                           Ala Tyr Arg Val Pro Val Ser Ser Ile Lys Se - #r Met Ile Gly His Ser            #           350                                                                - CTG GGC GCG ATC GGC TCC CTG GAG ATC GCC GC - #C TCC GTG CTG GCC ATC          1462                                                                           Leu Gly Ala Ile Gly Ser Leu Glu Ile Ala Al - #a Ser Val Leu Ala Ile            #       365                                                                    - ACA CAC GAC GTG GTG CCG CCC ACC GCC AAT CT - #G CAC GAG CCG GAT CCC          1510                                                                           Thr His Asp Val Val Pro Pro Thr Ala Asn Le - #u His Glu Pro Asp Pro            #   380                                                                        - GAG TGC GAT CTG GAC TAC GTG CCG CTG CGG GC - #G CGT GCG TGC CCG GTG          1558                                                                           Glu Cys Asp Leu Asp Tyr Val Pro Leu Arg Al - #a Arg Ala Cys Pro Val            385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -        #00                                                                            - GAC ACG GTG CTC ACG GTG GGC AGC GGG TTC GG - #C GGT TTC CAG AGC GCC          1606                                                                           Asp Thr Val Leu Thr Val Gly Ser Gly Phe Gl - #y Gly Phe Gln Ser Ala            #               415                                                            - ATG GTG CTG TGC GGT CCG GGC TCG CGG GGA AG - #G TCG GCC GCG TGACGGCCGC       1658                                                                           Met Val Leu Cys Gly Pro Gly Ser Arg Gly Ar - #g Ser Ala Ala                    #           430                                                                - CGTGGTGGTG ACCGGTCTCG GCGTCGTCGC CCCCACCGGT CTCGGGGTGC GG - #GAGCACTG        1718                                                                           - GTCGAGTACG GTCCGGGGGG CGTCGGCGAT CGGACCGGTC ACCCGGTTCG AC - #GCCGGCCG        1778                                                                           - GTACCCCAGC AAACTGGCCG GAGAGGTGCC CGGTTTCGTC CCGGAGGACC AT - #CTGCCCAG        1838                                                                           - CCGGCTGATG CCGCAGACGG ACCATATGAC GCGCCTGGCG CTCGTCGCGG CG - #GACTGGGC        1898                                                                           - CTTCCAGGAC GCCGCCGTGG ACCCGTCGAA GCTGCCGGAG TACGGCGTCG GC - #GTGGTCAC        1958                                                                           - CGCGAGTTCG GCGGGGGGGT TCGAATTCGG CCACCGCGAG CTGCAGAACC TG - #TGGAGCCT        2018                                                                           - GGGCCCGCAG TACGTCAGCG CGTATCAGTC GTTCGCATGG TTCTATGCCG TG - #AACACCGG        2078                                                                           - TCAGGTGTCC ATCCGGCACG GGCTGCGCGG CCCGGGCGGG GTGCTGGTGA CG - #GAACAGGC        2138                                                                           - GGGCGGCCTG GACGCCCTTG GGCAGGCCCG GCGGCAGTTG CGGCGCGGAC TG - #CCGATGGT        2198                                                                           - GGTCGCGGGA GCCGTTGACG GCTCGCCCTG CCCCTGGGGC TGGGTGGCGC AG - #CTCAGCTC        2258                                                                           - GGGCGGCCTC AGCACGTCGG ACGACCCGCG CCGGGCCTAT CTGCCGTTCG AC - #GCCGCAGC        2318                                                                           - CGGCGGACAC GTGCCGGGAG AGGGCGGCGC CCTGCTCGTC CTGGAGAGCG AC - #GAGTCGGC        2378                                                                           - CCGGGCGCGC GGGGTGACGC GGTGGTACGG GCGCATCGAT GGGTACGCCG CC - #ACATTCGA        2438                                                                           - CCCCCCGCCC GGTTCGGGGC GCCCGCCGAA CCTGCTGCGG GCCGCGCAGG CG - #GCACTGGA        2498                                                                           - CGACGCGGAG GTCGGACCCG AGGCGGTCGA CGTGGTGTTC GCGGACGCGT CC - #GGCACCCC        2558                                                                           - GGACGAGGAC GCGGCGGAGG CCGACGCGGT GCGGCGCCTG TTCGGACCGT AC - #GGCGTTCC        2618                                                                           - GGTGACGGCG CCGAAGACCA TGACCGGCCG CCTCAGCGCG GGCGGCGCGG CC - #CTCGACGT        2678                                                                           - GGCGACGGCG CTGCTGGCGC TGCGCGAGGG CGTCGTCCCG CCGACGGTCA AC - #GTCTCCCG        2738                                                                           - GCCGCGGCCG GAGTACGAGC TGGACCTGGT GCTCGCCCCC CGGCGCACGC CC - #CTGGCCAG        2798                                                                           - GGCCCTGGTG CTCGCGCGGG GCCGGGGCGG GTTCAATGCG GCGATGGTCG TG - #GCGGGGCC        2858                                                                           - GCGCGCGGAG ACACGGTGAA GCGGCCCGGC GCAGCCGGAG CCGCGGTAAG AG - #GCCACGGA        2918                                                                           #GAA CGG CTC ATG     2969 AAG CAG CAG CTG ACG ACG                              #Leu Metys Gln Gln Leu Thr Thr Glu Arg                                         # 10                                                                           - GAG ATC ATG CGG GAG TGC GCG GGC TAC GGT GA - #G GAC GTC GAC GCT CTG          3017                                                                           Glu Ile Met Arg Glu Cys Ala Gly Tyr Gly Gl - #u Asp Val Asp Ala Leu            #             25                                                               - GGC GAC ACG GAC GGC GCC GAC TTC GCC GCA CT - #C GGC TAC GAC TCG CTG          3065                                                                           Gly Asp Thr Asp Gly Ala Asp Phe Ala Ala Le - #u Gly Tyr Asp Ser Leu            #         40                                                                   - GCG CTC CTG GAA ACG GCC GGC CGG CTC GAG CG - #C GAG TTC GGC ATC CAG          3113                                                                           Ala Leu Leu Glu Thr Ala Gly Arg Leu Glu Ar - #g Glu Phe Gly Ile Gln            #     55                                                                       - CTC GGT GAC GAG GTG GTC GCC GAC GCC AGG AC - #G CCT GCC GAG CTG ACC          3161                                                                           Leu Gly Asp Glu Val Val Ala Asp Ala Arg Th - #r Pro Ala Glu Leu Thr            # 75                                                                           - GCC CTG GTC AAC CGG ACG GTG GCC GAG GCG GC - #C TGACCCGGCC GGCCCACGAG        3214                                                                           Ala Leu Val Asn Arg Thr Val Ala Glu Ala Al - #a                                #                 85                                                           #   3252           TGTA CGGCACGGAA CTCACACA                                    - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 2:                                            -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                           #acids    (A) LENGTH: 430 amino                                                          (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                 -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein                                              #2:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:                                    - Met Lys Glu Ser Ile Asn Arg Arg Val Val Il - #e Thr Gly Ile Gly Ile          #                 15                                                           - Val Ala Pro Asp Ala Thr Gly Val Lys Pro Ph - #e Trp Asp Leu Leu Thr          #             30                                                               - Ala Gly Arg Thr Ala Thr Arg Thr Ile Thr Al - #a Phe Asp Pro Ser Pro          #         45                                                                   - Phe Arg Ser Arg Ile Ala Ala Glu Cys Asp Ph - #e Asp Pro Leu Ala Glu          #     60                                                                       - Gly Leu Thr Pro Gln Gln Ile Arg Arg Met As - #p Arg Ala Thr Gln Phe          # 80                                                                           - Ala Val Val Ser Ala Arg Glu Ser Leu Glu As - #p Ser Gly Leu Asp Leu          #                 95                                                           - Gly Ala Leu Asp Ala Ser Arg Thr Gly Val Va - #l Val Gly Ser Ala Val          #           110                                                                - Gly Cys Thr Thr Ser Leu Glu Glu Glu Tyr Al - #a Val Val Ser Asp Ser          #       125                                                                    - Gly Arg Asn Trp Leu Val Asp Asp Gly Tyr Al - #a Val Pro His Leu Phe          #   140                                                                        - Asp Tyr Phe Val Pro Ser Ser Ile Ala Ala Gl - #u Val Ala His Asp Arg          145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -        #60                                                                            - Ile Gly Ala Glu Gly Pro Val Ser Leu Val Se - #r Thr Gly Cys Thr Ser          #               175                                                            - Gly Leu Asp Ala Val Gly Arg Ala Ala Asp Le - #u Ile Ala Glu Gly Ala          #           190                                                                - Ala Asp Val Met Leu Ala Gly Ala Thr Glu Al - #a Pro Ile Ser Pro Ile          #       205                                                                    - Thr Val Ala Cys Phe Asp Ala Ile Lys Ala Th - #r Thr Pro Arg Asn Asp          #   220                                                                        - Thr Pro Ala Glu Ala Ser Arg Pro Phe Asp Ar - #g Thr Arg Asn Gly Phe          225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -        #40                                                                            - Val Leu Gly Glu Gly Ala Ala Val Phe Val Le - #u Glu Glu Phe Glu His          #               255                                                            - Ala Arg Arg Arg Gly Ala Leu Val Tyr Ala Gl - #u Ile Ala Gly Phe Ala          #           270                                                                - Thr Arg Cys Asn Ala Phe His Met Thr Gly Le - #u Arg Pro Asp Gly Arg          #       285                                                                    - Glu Met Ala Glu Ala Ile Gly Val Ala Leu Al - #a Gln Ala Gly Lys Ala          #   300                                                                        - Pro Ala Asp Val Asp Tyr Val Asn Ala His Gl - #y Ser Gly Thr Arg Gln          305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -        #20                                                                            - Asn Asp Arg His Glu Thr Ala Ala Phe Lys Ar - #g Ser Leu Gly Asp His          #               335                                                            - Ala Tyr Arg Val Pro Val Ser Ser Ile Lys Se - #r Met Ile Gly His Ser          #           350                                                                - Leu Gly Ala Ile Gly Ser Leu Glu Ile Ala Al - #a Ser Val Leu Ala Ile          #       365                                                                    - Thr His Asp Val Val Pro Pro Thr Ala Asn Le - #u His Glu Pro Asp Pro          #   380                                                                        - Glu Cys Asp Leu Asp Tyr Val Pro Leu Arg Al - #a Arg Ala Cys Pro Val          385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -        #00                                                                            - Asp Thr Val Leu Thr Val Gly Ser Gly Phe Gl - #y Gly Phe Gln Ser Ala          #               415                                                            - Met Val Leu Cys Gly Pro Gly Ser Arg Gly Ar - #g Ser Ala Ala                  #           430                                                                - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 3:                                            -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                           #acids    (A) LENGTH: 86 amino                                                           (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                 -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein                                              #3:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:                                    - Val Lys Gln Gln Leu Thr Thr Glu Arg Leu Me - #t Glu Ile Met Arg Glu          #                 15                                                           - Cys Ala Gly Tyr Gly Glu Asp Val Asp Ala Le - #u Gly Asp Thr Asp Gly          #             30                                                               - Ala Asp Phe Ala Ala Leu Gly Tyr Asp Ser Le - #u Ala Leu Leu Glu Thr          #         45                                                                   - Ala Gly Arg Leu Glu Arg Glu Phe Gly Ile Gl - #n Leu Gly Asp Glu Val          #     60                                                                       - Val Ala Asp Ala Arg Thr Pro Ala Glu Leu Th - #r Ala Leu Val Asn Arg          # 80                                                                           - Thr Val Ala Glu Ala Ala                                                                       85                                                            - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 4:                                            -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                           #pairs    (A) LENGTH: 3252 base                                                          (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                 -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                        -    (iii) HYPOTHETICAL: NO                                                    -    (iii) ANTI-SENSE: NO                                                      -     (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE:                                                    #nogalater ATCC 27451 Streptomyces                                             -     (ix) FEATURE:                                                                      (A) NAME/KEY: CDS                                                              (B) LOCATION: 1648..2877                                             #/note= "ORF2"OTHER INFORMATION:                                               #4:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:                                    - GAATTCGGCC GTACCCCGAC GGCCGATTCC TTACCCTTCC GGAGCGGCTT GC - #GGATCGCA          60                                                                           - GGACGAAGTC CTCCCTCTCC CCCCATCGGG CGTCCGCTCT TTGTGACCGG TT - #CACGAGTC         120                                                                           - GGGTTCCAGC GCTCCTCGAC TCAGGATCGA CCCCTTCCGC GGTAGCCGCC CC - #GCAGGAAC         180                                                                           - CGCAAACCTT CCGCGCCGGT CCCGCCGGGC TTCGCCGCAC CCGTCCATCC GT - #CATTGAGC         240                                                                           - TGATTTCGAG ACAGGACGCG CACTGTCACC ACGAGCCCTG TGCGGTTGAA GT - #CATCACCT         300                                                                           - GTCCGCGCAC AGGAACTTCA AGACGATCAA AGCCCCTAGT GAAGGGCATC TT - #CGACGAAT         360                                                                           - GAAGGAATCC ATCAACCGTC GCGTGGTCAT CACCGGAATA GGGATCGTCG CG - #CCCGATGC         420                                                                           - CACCGGGGTG AAACCGTTCT GGGATCTGCT GACGGCCGGT CGCACCGCGA CC - #CGGACCAT         480                                                                           - CACCGCCTTC GATCCCTCTC CGTTCCGTTC CCGCATCGCC GCGGAATGCG AT - #TTCGACCC         540                                                                           - GCTTGCCGAA GGGCTGACCC CCCAGCAGAT CCGGCGTATG GACCGGGCCA CG - #CAGTTCGC         600                                                                           - GGTCGTCAGC GCCCGGGAAA GCCTGGAGGA CAGCGGACTC GACCTCGGCG CC - #CTGGACGC         660                                                                           - CTCCCGCACC GGCGTGGTCG TCGGCAGCGC GGTCGGCTGC ACCACGAGCC TG - #GAAGAGGA         720                                                                           - GTACGCGGTC GTCAGCGACA GCGGCCGGAA CTGGCTGGTC GACGACGGCT AC - #GCCGTACC         780                                                                           - GCACCTATTC GACTACTTCG TGCCCAGCTC CATCGCCGCC GAGGTGGCAC AC - #GACCGCAT         840                                                                           - CGGCGCGGAG GGCCCCGTCA GCCTCGTGTC GACCGGGTGC ACCTCGGGCC TG - #GACGCCGT         900                                                                           - GGGCCGCGCG GCCGACCTGA TCGCCGAGGG AGCGGCGGAT GTGATGCTGG CC - #GGTGCGAC         960                                                                           - CGAGGCGCCC ATCTCCCCCA TCACCGTGGC GTGCTTCGAT GCCATCAAGG CG - #ACCACCCC        1020                                                                           - CCGCAACGAC ACGCCCGCCG AGGCGTCCCG TCCGTTCGAC CGCACCAGGA AC - #GGGTTCGT        1080                                                                           - ACTCGGCGAG GGCGCTGCCG TGTTCGTCCT GGAGGAGTTC GAACACGCGC GC - #CGCCGGGG        1140                                                                           - CGCGCTCGTG TACGCGGAGA TCGCCGGGTT CGCCACTCGC TGCAACGCCT TC - #CACATGAC        1200                                                                           - CGGTCTGCGC CCGGACGGGC GGGAGATGGC GGAGGCCATC GGGGTGGCGC TC - #GCCCAGGC        1260                                                                           - GGGCAAGGCG CCGGCTGACG TCGACTACGT CAACGCCCAC GGTTCCGGCA CC - #CGGCAGAA        1320                                                                           - TGACCGTCAC GAGACGGCGG CCTTCAAGCG CAGTCTCGGC GACCACGCCT AC - #CGGGTCCC        1380                                                                           - GGTCAGCAGC ATCAAATCCA TGATCGGGCA CTCGCTGGGC GCGATCGGCT CC - #CTGGAGAT        1440                                                                           - CGCCGCCTCC GTGCTGGCCA TCACACACGA CGTGGTGCCG CCCACCGCCA AT - #CTGCACGA        1500                                                                           - GCCGGATCCC GAGTGCGATC TGGACTACGT GCCGCTGCGG GCGCGTGCGT GC - #CCGGTGGA        1560                                                                           - CACGGTGCTC ACGGTGGGCA GCGGGTTCGG CGGTTTCCAG AGCGCCATGG TG - #CTGTGCGG        1620                                                                           #GTG GTG ACC       1671 CGGCCGC GTG ACG GCC GCC GTG                            #            Val Thr Ala Al - #a Val Val Val Thr                               #           5  1                                                               - GGT CTC GGC GTC GTC GCC CCC ACC GGT CTC GG - #G GTG CGG GAG CAC TGG          1719                                                                           Gly Leu Gly Val Val Ala Pro Thr Gly Leu Gl - #y Val Arg Glu His Trp            #     20                                                                       - TCG AGT ACG GTC CGG GGG GCG TCG GCG ATC GG - #A CCG GTC ACC CGG TTC          1767                                                                           Ser Ser Thr Val Arg Gly Ala Ser Ala Ile Gl - #y Pro Val Thr Arg Phe            # 40                                                                           - GAC GCC GGC CGG TAC CCC AGC AAA CTG GCC GG - #A GAG GTG CCC GGT TTC          1815                                                                           Asp Ala Gly Arg Tyr Pro Ser Lys Leu Ala Gl - #y Glu Val Pro Gly Phe            #                 55                                                           - GTC CCG GAG GAC CAT CTG CCC AGC CGG CTG AT - #G CCG CAG ACG GAC CAT          1863                                                                           Val Pro Glu Asp His Leu Pro Ser Arg Leu Me - #t Pro Gln Thr Asp His            #             70                                                               - ATG ACG CGC CTG GCG CTC GTC GCG GCG GAC TG - #G GCC TTC CAG GAC GCC          1911                                                                           Met Thr Arg Leu Ala Leu Val Ala Ala Asp Tr - #p Ala Phe Gln Asp Ala            #         85                                                                   - GCC GTG GAC CCG TCG AAG CTG CCG GAG TAC GG - #C GTC GGC GTG GTC ACC          1959                                                                           Ala Val Asp Pro Ser Lys Leu Pro Glu Tyr Gl - #y Val Gly Val Val Thr            #    100                                                                       - GCG AGT TCG GCG GGG GGG TTC GAA TTC GGC CA - #C CGC GAG CTG CAG AAC          2007                                                                           Ala Ser Ser Ala Gly Gly Phe Glu Phe Gly Hi - #s Arg Glu Leu Gln Asn            105                 1 - #10                 1 - #15                 1 -        #20                                                                            - CTG TGG AGC CTG GGC CCG CAG TAC GTC AGC GC - #G TAT CAG TCG TTC GCA          2055                                                                           Leu Trp Ser Leu Gly Pro Gln Tyr Val Ser Al - #a Tyr Gln Ser Phe Ala            #               135                                                            - TGG TTC TAT GCC GTG AAC ACC GGT CAG GTG TC - #C ATC CGG CAC GGG CTG          2103                                                                           Trp Phe Tyr Ala Val Asn Thr Gly Gln Val Se - #r Ile Arg His Gly Leu            #           150                                                                - CGC GGC CCG GGC GGG GTG CTG GTG ACG GAA CA - #G GCG GGC GGC CTG GAC          2151                                                                           Arg Gly Pro Gly Gly Val Leu Val Thr Glu Gl - #n Ala Gly Gly Leu Asp            #       165                                                                    - GCC CTT GGG CAG GCC CGG CGG CAG TTG CGG CG - #C GGA CTG CCG ATG GTG          2199                                                                           Ala Leu Gly Gln Ala Arg Arg Gln Leu Arg Ar - #g Gly Leu Pro Met Val            #   180                                                                        - GTC GCG GGA GCC GTT GAC GGC TCG CCC TGC CC - #C TGG GGC TGG GTG GCG          2247                                                                           Val Ala Gly Ala Val Asp Gly Ser Pro Cys Pr - #o Trp Gly Trp Val Ala            185                 1 - #90                 1 - #95                 2 -        #00                                                                            - CAG CTC AGC TCG GGC GGC CTC AGC ACG TCG GA - #C GAC CCG CGC CGG GCC          2295                                                                           Gln Leu Ser Ser Gly Gly Leu Ser Thr Ser As - #p Asp Pro Arg Arg Ala            #               215                                                            - TAT CTG CCG TTC GAC GCC GCA GCC GGC GGA CA - #C GTG CCG GGA GAG GGC          2343                                                                           Tyr Leu Pro Phe Asp Ala Ala Ala Gly Gly Hi - #s Val Pro Gly Glu Gly            #           230                                                                - GGC GCC CTG CTC GTC CTG GAG AGC GAC GAG TC - #G GCC CGG GCG CGC GGG          2391                                                                           Gly Ala Leu Leu Val Leu Glu Ser Asp Glu Se - #r Ala Arg Ala Arg Gly            #       245                                                                    - GTG ACG CGG TGG TAC GGG CGC ATC GAT GGG TA - #C GCC GCC ACA TTC GAC          2439                                                                           Val Thr Arg Trp Tyr Gly Arg Ile Asp Gly Ty - #r Ala Ala Thr Phe Asp            #   260                                                                        - CCC CCG CCC GGT TCG GGG CGC CCG CCG AAC CT - #G CTG CGG GCC GCG CAG          2487                                                                           Pro Pro Pro Gly Ser Gly Arg Pro Pro Asn Le - #u Leu Arg Ala Ala Gln            265                 2 - #70                 2 - #75                 2 -        #80                                                                            - GCG GCA CTG GAC GAC GCG GAG GTC GGA CCC GA - #G GCG GTC GAC GTG GTG          2535                                                                           Ala Ala Leu Asp Asp Ala Glu Val Gly Pro Gl - #u Ala Val Asp Val Val            #               295                                                            - TTC GCG GAC GCG TCC GGC ACC CCG GAC GAG GA - #C GCG GCG GAG GCC GAC          2583                                                                           Phe Ala Asp Ala Ser Gly Thr Pro Asp Glu As - #p Ala Ala Glu Ala Asp            #           310                                                                - GCG GTG CGG CGC CTG TTC GGA CCG TAC GGC GT - #T CCG GTG ACG GCG CCG          2631                                                                           Ala Val Arg Arg Leu Phe Gly Pro Tyr Gly Va - #l Pro Val Thr Ala Pro            #       325                                                                    - AAG ACC ATG ACC GGC CGC CTC AGC GCG GGC GG - #C GCG GCC CTC GAC GTG          2679                                                                           Lys Thr Met Thr Gly Arg Leu Ser Ala Gly Gl - #y Ala Ala Leu Asp Val            #   340                                                                        - GCG ACG GCG CTG CTG GCG CTG CGC GAG GGC GT - #C GTC CCG CCG ACG GTC          2727                                                                           Ala Thr Ala Leu Leu Ala Leu Arg Glu Gly Va - #l Val Pro Pro Thr Val            345                 3 - #50                 3 - #55                 3 -        #60                                                                            - AAC GTC TCC CGG CCG CGG CCG GAG TAC GAG CT - #G GAC CTG GTG CTC GCC          2775                                                                           Asn Val Ser Arg Pro Arg Pro Glu Tyr Glu Le - #u Asp Leu Val Leu Ala            #               375                                                            - CCC CGG CGC ACG CCC CTG GCC AGG GCC CTG GT - #G CTC GCG CGG GGC CGG          2823                                                                           Pro Arg Arg Thr Pro Leu Ala Arg Ala Leu Va - #l Leu Ala Arg Gly Arg            #           390                                                                - GGC GGG TTC AAT GCG GCG ATG GTC GTG GCG GG - #G CCG CGC GCG GAG ACA          2871                                                                           Gly Gly Phe Asn Ala Ala Met Val Val Ala Gl - #y Pro Arg Ala Glu Thr            #       405                                                                    - CGG TGAAGCGGCC CGGCGCAGCC GGAGCCGCGG TAAGAGGCCA CGGAAGAGA - #G               2924                                                                           Arg                                                                            - AGGGATGCGA CGGTGAAGCA GCAGCTGACG ACGGAACGGC TCATGGAGAT CA - #TGCGGGAG        2984                                                                           - TGCGCGGGCT ACGGTGAGGA CGTCGACGCT CTGGGCGACA CGGACGGCGC CG - #ACTTCGCC        3044                                                                           - GCACTCGGCT ACGACTCGCT GGCGCTCCTG GAAACGGCCG GCCGGCTCGA GC - #GCGAGTTC        3104                                                                           - GGCATCCAGC TCGGTGACGA GGTGGTCGCC GACGCCAGGA CGCCTGCCGA GC - #TGACCGCC        3164                                                                           - CTGGTCAACC GGACGGTGGC CGAGGCGGCC TGACCCGGCC GGCCCACGAG AG - #CGGGGTGA        3224                                                                           #           3252   GGAA CTCACACA                                               - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 5:                                            -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                           #acids    (A) LENGTH: 409 amino                                                          (B) TYPE: amino acid                                                           (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                 -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: protein                                              #5:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:                                    - Val Thr Ala Ala Val Val Val Thr Gly Leu Gl - #y Val Val Ala Pro Thr          #                 15                                                           - Gly Leu Gly Val Arg Glu His Trp Ser Ser Th - #r Val Arg Gly Ala Ser          #             30                                                               - Ala Ile Gly Pro Val Thr Arg Phe Asp Ala Gl - #y Arg Tyr Pro Ser Lys          #         45                                                                   - Leu Ala Gly Glu Val Pro Gly Phe Val Pro Gl - #u Asp His Leu Pro Ser          #     60                                                                       - Arg Leu Met Pro Gln Thr Asp His Met Thr Ar - #g Leu Ala Leu Val Ala          # 80                                                                           - Ala Asp Trp Ala Phe Gln Asp Ala Ala Val As - #p Pro Ser Lys Leu Pro          #                 95                                                           - Glu Tyr Gly Val Gly Val Val Thr Ala Ser Se - #r Ala Gly Gly Phe Glu          #           110                                                                - Phe Gly His Arg Glu Leu Gln Asn Leu Trp Se - #r Leu Gly Pro Gln Tyr          #       125                                                                    - Val Ser Ala Tyr Gln Ser Phe Ala Trp Phe Ty - #r Ala Val Asn Thr Gly          #   140                                                                        - Gln Val Ser Ile Arg His Gly Leu Arg Gly Pr - #o Gly Gly Val Leu Val          145                 1 - #50                 1 - #55                 1 -        #60                                                                            - Thr Glu Gln Ala Gly Gly Leu Asp Ala Leu Gl - #y Gln Ala Arg Arg Gln          #               175                                                            - Leu Arg Arg Gly Leu Pro Met Val Val Ala Gl - #y Ala Val Asp Gly Ser          #           190                                                                - Pro Cys Pro Trp Gly Trp Val Ala Gln Leu Se - #r Ser Gly Gly Leu Ser          #       205                                                                    - Thr Ser Asp Asp Pro Arg Arg Ala Tyr Leu Pr - #o Phe Asp Ala Ala Ala          #   220                                                                        - Gly Gly His Val Pro Gly Glu Gly Gly Ala Le - #u Leu Val Leu Glu Ser          225                 2 - #30                 2 - #35                 2 -        #40                                                                            - Asp Glu Ser Ala Arg Ala Arg Gly Val Thr Ar - #g Trp Tyr Gly Arg Ile          #               255                                                            - Asp Gly Tyr Ala Ala Thr Phe Asp Pro Pro Pr - #o Gly Ser Gly Arg Pro          #           270                                                                - Pro Asn Leu Leu Arg Ala Ala Gln Ala Ala Le - #u Asp Asp Ala Glu Val          #       285                                                                    - Gly Pro Glu Ala Val Asp Val Val Phe Ala As - #p Ala Ser Gly Thr Pro          #   300                                                                        - Asp Glu Asp Ala Ala Glu Ala Asp Ala Val Ar - #g Arg Leu Phe Gly Pro          305                 3 - #10                 3 - #15                 3 -        #20                                                                            - Tyr Gly Val Pro Val Thr Ala Pro Lys Thr Me - #t Thr Gly Arg Leu Ser          #               335                                                            - Ala Gly Gly Ala Ala Leu Asp Val Ala Thr Al - #a Leu Leu Ala Leu Arg          #           350                                                                - Glu Gly Val Val Pro Pro Thr Val Asn Val Se - #r Arg Pro Arg Pro Glu          #       365                                                                    - Tyr Glu Leu Asp Leu Val Leu Ala Pro Arg Ar - #g Thr Pro Leu Ala Arg          #   380                                                                        - Ala Leu Val Leu Ala Arg Gly Arg Gly Gly Ph - #e Asn Ala Ala Met Val          385                 3 - #90                 3 - #95                 4 -        #00                                                                            - Val Ala Gly Pro Arg Ala Glu Thr Arg                                                          405                                                            - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:6:                                             -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                           #pairs    (A) LENGTH: 17 base                                                            (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                 -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                        -     (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:6:                                  #   17             GAC                                                         - (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO:7:                                             -      (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:                                           #pairs    (A) LENGTH: 17 base                                                            (B) TYPE: nucleic acid                                                         (C) STRANDEDNESS: single                                                       (D) TOPOLOGY: linear                                                 -     (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic)                                        #7:   (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO:                                    #   17             GAC                                                         __________________________________________________________________________ 

What is claim is:
 1. An isolated and purified DNA fragment, which is the actI-hybridizing 12 kb BglII-BglII-fragment encoding the anthracycline biosynthetic pathway genes of the bacterium Streptomyces nogalater.
 2. The DNA fragment according to claim 1, comprising the nucleotide sequence given in SEQ ID NO: 1, or a fragment thereof encoding at least one gene of the anthracycline biosynthetic pathway.
 3. A recombinant DNA comprising the DNA fragment according to claim 2, included in a plasmid, wherein the plasmid can be transferred in to a Streptomyces bacterium and is copied therein.
 4. The recombinant DNA according to claim 3, wherein the plasmid is plasmid pSY15 deposited in S. lividans strain TK24/pSY15 at DSM-Deutsche Sammlung Von Mikroorganismen und Zellkulturen, Braunschweig, Germany, with the deposition number DSM
 9436. 5. A recombinant DNA comprising the DNA fragment according to claim 1, included in a plasmid, wherein the plasmid can be transferred to a Streptomyces bacterium and is copied therein.
 6. A process for the production of anthracyclines comprising transferring the DNA fragment according to claim 1 into a Streptomyces galilaeus host cultivating the recombinant strain obtained, and isolating the products formed.
 7. A process according to claim 6, wherein the DNA fragment comprises the fragment of claim
 2. 8. The process according to claim 7, wherein the anthracycline is auramycinone or a glycoside thereof, and wherein the host is a non-producing mutant strain of Streptomyces galilaeus.
 9. The process according to claim 8, wherein the Streptomyces galilaeus host is the strain H028 which is a mutant strain of S. galilaeus ATCC
 31615. 10. A process according to claim 6, wherein the anthracycline is auramycinone or a glycoside thereof, and wherein the host is a non-producing mutant strain of Streptomyces galilaeus.
 11. The process according to claim 10, wherein the Streptomyces galiaeus host is the strain H028 which is a mutant strain of S. galilaeus ATCC
 31615. 12. A process for the production of precursors of anthracyclines, comprising transferring the DNA fragment according to claim 1 into a Streptomyces lividans host, cultivating the recombinant strain obtained, and isolating the products formed.
 13. The process according to claim 12, wherein the DNA fragment comprises the fragment of claim
 11. 14. A process according to claim 12, wherein an anthracycline precursor is produced, which has the following formula: ##STR3## 